


Free To Be Me

by faroresson



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, None of the IT is cishet, Trans Shirogane Naoto, naoto is a trans girl and i will die on this hill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29844273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faroresson/pseuds/faroresson
Summary: The Investigation Team have already seen the worst of her insecurities, so this shouldn't be hard to tell them. They stuck with her after finding out she was a girl the first time, so why not let them know the rest of that long story?Naoto comes out to her friends as trans
Relationships: Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Free To Be Me

**Author's Note:**

> Now before y'all crucify me, I just see a lot of similarities between Naoto and myself but in opposite directions! And as much as I'd love to just write an essay about it, I can't format for shit! 
> 
> I just like the vibes of GNC Trans Woman Naoto, okay?

Nerve wracked. That was the best way to describe how she was feeling. More than nervous but not quite afraid. She splashed some cold water on her face and ran a wet hand through her hair. Naoto looked at herself in the mirror, thankful the school bathroom was empty. She rubbed her eyes and counted seconds to steady her breathing. She hadn't felt this nervous since telling her grandpa. And that went swimmingly! Despite him being an old man in rural Japan, so her teenage friends who already have context about this shouldn't be a problem. Not that that fact makes this confession any less nerve-wracking.

"You can do this," she whispered to her reflection, "They've already seen the worst of you. This is nothing." It wasn't much of a pep talk, but it was enough. After all that she and the Investigation Team had been through together, it finally seemed the right time to get this weight off her chest. Naoto dried her face and hands and headed to the rooftop.

"Naoto-kun! Over here!" Chie called, waving her hand. Naoto smiled and joined where her friends were collected. Friends… She could trust them, they wouldn't abandon her over this. They all greeted her warmly and she returned in kind. It was a decently warm day, and everyone was talking excitedly about spring break plans over shared lunch boxes. The casual atmosphere helped settle some of Naoto's nerves, now just to subtly insert a segue to the topic she wanted to discuss.

It came well before Naoto expected, "Hey, Naoto, you alright?" Yu asks.

"Yeah, you got that 'hard to solve puzzle' look about ya, babydoll…" Kanji adds. When he places a hand gently on Naoto's shoulder, she flinches, then forces herself to relax.

She sighs, "It's… Well, it's not nothing, but I'm not sure how to start. I don't want to ruin the mood."

Everyone was suddenly clamouring to assure her that they could put whatever mood back as what she had on her mind was infinitely more important. Naoto took a deep breath to center herself, accepting Kanji's hand when it was offered with a squeeze. "I," she starts, voice shaking until she takes another breath, "I'm trans. I wanted you all to know considering you all have already seen the worst of it." Naoto opened her eyes, unaware she had them squeezed shut, and was met with what looked like pleasant surprise. Some more surprised than others, Yukiko and Rise looked like that wasn't the news they were expecting, while Yu gave a thumbs up awkwardly.

Yosuke tilted his head, confused, "In… What direction? If I may ask."

Naoto gave another sigh, this one much more relieved, "I'm a trans woman. You already have my name and pronouns. Like I said, I just wanted you guys to have the full picture."

"So, about your shadow…" Rise says, trailing off, not really expecting an answer.

"My regrets about coming out to myself," Naoto explains with a small smile, "You all know how I want respect as an equal in the workplace right?"

Everybody nods. "After working with the police, where I was discredited for being a girl, then again for being a child, I started wondering if life would have been easier if I just kept living as a man. I could have too, but I really prefer being a woman."

Kanji grimaced, "Not to mention the danger if your gender was found out…"

Naoto chuckles lightly, "That's why I worked as a boy, my IDs still list my sex as male. It's also why I was somehow able to get away with it despite being very short."

"Yeah," Rise says with a bit of a joking quality to her tone, "Not to mention, one hate crime is better than three hate crimes."

Hiding behind the brim of her hat, Naoto laughs, "Exactly."

Kanji removed his hand from Naoto's to wrap his arm around her shoulder and press a kiss to her temple, "Thanks for trustin' us with this, Naoto. And I promise we're behind you all the way!"

Then, Yukiko suddenly flew into a fit of giggles. Chie rolled her eyes and asked what was up. "We have," Yukiko struggles to speak her words in full, "we have one of every letter in LGBT now, and then some!"

Rise gasps, "We do! Chie-senpai is a lesbian, I'm bi, Yu-senpai is gay and you're our T Naoto-kun!"

"What about everyone else?" Naoto asks,

Shockingly, Yosuke's the one who answers first, "I mean, I don't think any of us are actually straight. Yukiko's into girls, I don't think Teddie really gives a shit, I'm into at least one dude surprisingly and…"

Kanji finishes the thought hesitantly, "I had a bit of a thing for you before we learned you were a girl. And I may have had a bit of a crush on Yu-senpai."

"Okay but who doesn't have a crush on Yu-senpai?" Rise interjects.

"I'll drink to that!" Yosuke jokes, while poor Yu blushes so hard he looks like he was set on fire. 

Yu shakes his head, "...Right. Kanji's right, we're with you all the way. And if what I hear is correct, Uncle Dojima is keeping the police department in check."

Naoto nods. It's true, Detective Dojima was one of the first to fight for her when other detectives and cops would try and brush her off. A far cry from when she first started working on the murder case, but back then she was also being a bit of a know-it-all. 

Naoto finally relaxes completely. The acceptance lifted the fear of rejection off her shoulders. With this final card on the table, Naoto truly felt like she was trusting in full, and her friends trusting her in return. Having people know her, love her and be willing to fight for her fills her with a lightness she didn't know was possible. She's happy, she's safe, and here in Inaba with her friends by her side, she's free.


End file.
